Maurice Greiffenhagen

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PORTRAIT OT

MRS. PICk'TORD WALLER

/>•)' MAURICT CRTATTEXHACEN

AURICE GREIFFENHAGEN
BY B. KENDELL

Amongst the distinguished English
painters of to-day a dominating person-
ality is that of Maurice Greiffenhagen. It may
be argued that 'by birth he is an alien, and it is
the blood that tells. On the other hand the fact
remains indisputable that his parents became
naturalised British subjects, and that he received
all his artistic training in the Academy schools.
That he escaped scatheless therefrom speaks
volumes for his natural abilities and clear con-
viction of the relative values of Art.

In his work we see the reflection of a com-
prehensive knowledge that has been acquired by
independent means and does not belong to
any one particular school or period. He is
himself, vo'da tout, and it suffices to all those
who recognise the broader aims of painting. We
have often heard the reproach made that the

painter nowadays trades with his abilities,
fashioning his work according to the taste of the
market which he is to supply, and, furthermore,
that he seeks to gain his effects as cheaply as
possible. There may be truth in this assertion,
but then the very fair question can be put — How
are artists who live by the sale of their work
deliberately to run counter to the prevailing mode ?
If they so do, then they will furnish their studios
with interesting works of art, perhaps part with a
few at a nominal price to far-sighted connoisseurs,
but for the rest they will sit and starve and be
dubbed fools for their conscience sake. The match
between necessity and conviction is an unequal
one, and only those who have been intimately
concerned with it can fathom its bitterness. The
man who does not stop to question things to
which there can be no satisfactory answer, but

57

Maurice Greiffenhagen

A STUDY FOR ' THE A XM UNCI, I TIC. A"
BY MAURICE C.REI FFENHAGEN

who accepts a situation over which he has no
control and seeks how best to turn it to account,
has the greatest chance of success — of a kind.

If you are too proud to swim with the tide
and are not strong enough to make headway
against it, then you had better keep aloof on the
dry island of your beliefs from which vantage
ground you can look and laugh, or weep, at the
others who are struggling in the waters. To do
this you must be singularly free from personal
ambition and, moreover, be independent of the

sordid questions of living.

We are continually being reminded of the
examples set by the Old Masters— wh at they did
and what they did not do. They appear in the
halo of history as so many giants seated on
thrones made out of the pieces of consecutive
centuries.

Apart from being men of genius they were
practical business men and born organisers. Each
great man founded his own school and gathered
round him pupilsmoreorlesstalented. The studios

53

The Position of the Modern Portrait Painter

were workshops where the master-craftsman was
assisted by clever apprentices. The result of
this sound and thorough going system of output
is to be seen to-day in the rivalry existing
between owners of the same masterpiece with
the same signature appended.

It is hardly to be supposed that the Old
Masters went on painting exact replicas of their
pictures, and taking into consideration the
immense amount of technical labour involved
then — and each thread of lace and jewel in
trimming was rendered
with painful accuracy
— the conclusion drawn
is this : On rare occa-
sions only did the
Master execute a por-
trait entirely with his
own hand. An instance
of this is to be found
in the two portraits of
the ' Conde de Olivares'
which are exactly simi-
lar in composition and
both ascribed to Velas-
quez. The portrait in
the possession of Mr.
Huth would rather
appear to be the work
of the Master's pupils
than his own, and,
anyhow, I think it is
evident that the person
who painted the head
and face did not paint
the hands. Autre temps
autre mceurs, and the
portrait painter of to-day
is expected to do every-
thing or nothing and -a
far greater tax is levied
on his physical powers
than was the case in
the good old times. In
self defence he is often
obliged to slur his work
and is hastily condemn-
ed by the unthinking
who do not realize how
much effort is contained --/ study

Ji ) ' MA l R ICli (; A' /-/J-y-J-X/YA Gli.

in a carefully turned out portrait. Impressionism
doubtless meets the demands of the age and
those who quarrel with it from principle were
born 'out of due season.' Portrait painting, by
more or less reason of its existence, must be
subservient to the period in which it flourishes.
The greatest difference existing between the old
and the new methods is the pristine idea to
construct a portrait that should be of intrinsic
value as a picture and not only a superlatively
clever character study. It is of very rare
occurrence to find an
artist to-day who, be-
sides being fully con-
scious of all the qualities
necessary to make a
noble portrait picture,
boldly denounces mod-
ern tendencies. Such a
one is Maurice Greiffen-
hagen. To describe
him accurately: he is a
very modern man with
a mind tinged in places
by old beliefs.

Compare his black
and white work with
which we are all famil-
iar and which excites
admiration for its
strength and spirit, and
his paintings of classical
subjects and you have
before your eyes a seem-
ing paradox in the fact
of this dual blending
of forces. In character
these classical composi-
tions are conceived with
a depth of feeling and
an intensity that belongs
by right of tradition to
a by-gone age. The
picture dealers and ama-
teurs for whom they
cater, dispute posses-
sion of the works of the
Venetian school a great
deal because certain
names command certain

59

Maurice Greiffenhagen

prices. With few exceptions no encouragement
is offered to a revival of the old spirit in painting,
which shows how little those on whom, unfor-
tunately, artists depend for gaining a fair hearing,
are worthy of their privileges.

Pre-Raphaelism received a second birth,
because it came at a time that showed peculiar
sterility in Art of every description — a time
characterised by
soberness of view,
earnestness of en-
deavour, and pau-
city of talent.
Ford Madox
Brown heralded
the coming of
Rossetti and
Burne Jones, and
Millais at his best
threw himself
with enthusiasm
into the move-
ment. The con-
junction of these
personalities en-
sured success, if
only for a brief
period.

Pre-Raphaelism
has received its
honoured burial,
and we move on
to new ground
peopled by a mot-
ley assortment of
shadows.

Amongst our
painters of to-day
it is interesting
to note each man's

particular inspiration. The predominating in-
fluence is that of the Spanish school, and
Velasquez and Goya are the chosen prophets
who can boast the most distinguished following.
Indeed, if Goya were to reappear in the flesh
to-morrow he might feel himself quite at home,
and, perhaps, astonished at the extent of his in-
fluence with some prominent members of the
newest French school. These have more closely

PORTRAIT OF NANNIE GIBSON
RY MA URIC F. GRF.IFFENHAGF.N

adhered to their model than is usually the case
with the artist, who generally contents himself
with a free adaptation of his ideal to his own
idiosyncracies.

In what consists the greatest merit of a
portrait painter according to present acceptance ?
We look at the work of those who are recognised
as leading lights, and answer: in conveying the

strongest mean-
ing in the shortest
terms.

Three years ago,
at the Exhibition
held by the So-
ciety of Painters
and Gravers,
Maurice Greiffen-
hagen's portrait
of Miss Sybil
Waller came as a
reminder of the
fuller aims of
portrait painting.
It was also a re-
velation of his
powers of com-
position and feel-
ing for form and
colour.

While looking
at the face of the
girl — a curious
one, full of pos-
sibilities — no one
can deny his
strong,quiet grasp
of personality. In
some instances —
they are of all the
most interesting
— his object would seem to be the glorification
of that which is neglected or overlooked by the
superficial observer.

Plainness of feature does not repel his aesthetic
sympathies, and his keen sight never misses a
point in his argument that every type of human
character is worthy of study. Thus some of his
most brilliant successes have been achieved
with unlikely material, and in this power of

60

PORTRAIT STUDY

BY MAURICE GREIFFENHAGEN.

Tbe Artist

.3 ?;

6i

Maurice Greiffenhagen

interpretationhe
has no rival, for
the ablest of our
portrait painters
merely accentu-
ates what is un-
lovely, and the
object gained is
to repel instead
of attract.

Face to" face
with one of
these portraits of
Maurice Greiff-
enhagen's you
remain fascina-
ted by his per-
sonal way of
looking at
things. With-
out any trick or
flourish of paint
he asserts his
quiet superiority
of judgment and
skill.

The depth
and thorough-
ness of his work
is here in strong
contrast with
prevailing meth-
ods. He abhors showiness and clap-trap effects
that flavour of the footlights, and this extreme
conscientiousness of his again reminds us of
the serious and dignified traditions of Art as
they were once understood.

The artist's portrait of Miss Waller, recently
on view at the New Gallery, without any exagger-
ation, can be called a masterpiece in its way. The
composition is simple in the extreme. The lady
sits facing you in a crimson velvet chair; against
a plain, dead black background her dark, sleek
head is splendidly defined. The study of the
relative values is here rendered with consummate
skill. The flesh tones of the face are smoothly
and carefully treated, and the convergence of
light in their pupils lends a peculiar expression
to the eyes. The picture throughout is painted

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PORTRAIT OF DOROTHEA. DAUGHTER Ob
F. STEIVARD-TAYI.OR, ESQ.
BY MAURICE GREIFFENHAGEN

in a low, sober
colour, being
relieved by
touches of rich
orange in the
dress. The
hands are a de-
light, for they
are wholly ex-
pressive and
painted with a
freedom that is
at the same time
marvellously ac-
curate. As a
whole, the por-
trait is cleverly
studied and
truthfully un-
compromising,
and its fascina-
tions do not lie
solely in the
brilliancy of the
technique dis-
played, but are
deeper beneath
the surface !

There are
times when the
artist has seized
his sitters' hap-
piest moods, and rendered them with vivacious
charm, and this is particularly the case in the
portrait of Miss Rennie Bowles. There are also
instances when his work can be reproached with
a certain dryness and over-deliberation, though
invariably presenting aspects of originality and
interest.

In his employment of opulent forms and
deep, rich schemes of colour, Greiffenhagen's
decorative canvases possess undeniable material
beauty. He well knows how. to clothe a legend
in all the riches of romance, and, at the same
time, give his own reading of it.

In his presentment of the theme of the
' Annunciation ' he has missed the spirituality
of the idea. What he gave us was a clever and
admirable study of arrangement and here he

62

MISS SYBIL WALLER

BY MAURICE GREIFFENHAGEN

"^

TbeArtist

The Annunciation

A DRAPERY STUDY

BY MA URIC Ji GRIilTFEXlIAGHN

turned to us his modern side gather unexpectedly.

The conventional halo and branch of lilies is
all that suggests the theme of the picture. Like
Burne Jones, he remains faithful to one feminine
type with the same result that the Angel and the
Virgin Mary might be twin sisters in comeliness
of an uncommon kind.

There is no living painter who can make us
feel the reality of his Madonnas and Angels and
wisely, there are few who attempt to do so. The

pretty, commonplace peasant girls, chubby
babies and attenuated angels, which from time to
time make their appearance in the foreign picture
galleries, all bring the paid model too clearly to
the front. From the ' Holy Families ' of Von
Uhde one turns with a feeling akin to resent-
ment against the artist for his wanton trampling
of ideals which he is pleased to christen realism.
The reality is purely abstract and relates to the
universal application of a doctrine. As an aim

63

Greiffenhagen's Illustrations

the a'/.yu .i.\n run kegcarm.iid
from .in i:\FixJsunn on. p.iixmxc,

FY M.K'KJCn GRlill-l-F.XU.lGF.N

this is a high one but, somehow, the method fails
to convince. To the general public, Maurice
Greiffenhagen's name is widely known for his
able book illustrations, and his clever satires on
modern society life. Here again his powers of
observation are strongly in evidence. He renders
all the drawing room types with amusing-
accuracy, and with the slight necessary emphasis
to heighten the effect. The grouping of his

figures is invariably good, and his placing ot
skilful contrasts of light and shadow gives a
perfectly balanced picture.

To what particular development his versatile
abilities will tend is a matter for conjecture at
present.

Meanwhile he remains one of the most
interesting figures in the history of contemporary
British Art.

64

The National Competition

PORTRAIT OF

M/SS E. T. . . .

BY MAURICE ORE I E Eli XII AG EN

ATIONAL COMPETITION OF ART
SCHOOLS AND CLASSES 1901
BY J. OLIVIER EYRE

It is a little remarkable that, at the
beginning of the Twentieth Century, after fifty
years of State aid to Education in Art, it is deemed
fitting to stow away in an outbuilding, difficult to
find, at the back of the Natural History Museum,
South Kensington, a collection of the prize works
of Art students from all parts of Great Britain.
These works are so interesting from an educational
standpoint, and from their vital bearing upon
industrial welfare, that in any other European
country but Britain they would be worthily
lodged and fully displayed for the benefit of the
people.

There are between four and five hundred
specimens of painting, modelling, drawing and
design on view, including numerous examples of
craft work executed in material, many being most

excellent, and rendering it very difficult to under-
stand the ingenuous cynicism lying behind so
sacrificial a lodgment of these efforts of the
art students of the country. Such efforts
would be sedulously encouraged, and passionately
cherished by some of our neighbours, who,
it is well to remember, are also our rivals in
trade.

From one end to the other of its restricted
area the exhibition excites a strong sense of
wonder at the high degree of accomplishment
attained, and at the diversity of styles in the
decorative studies. Who that recollects some
former exhibitions can forget the feeble adapta-
tions of Sixteenth Century Italian ornament, the
stilted and vulgarised ghosts of Stevens, and
more alarming still, the later plunge into themes

65